Page 26 of Burn for the Devil
Our lunch together had gone as expected, with him trying to charm and manipulate, and me shooting him down. It was uncomfortable, so I’d claimed a headache and he took me back to the shop. Placing the pink stone in a slotted bin filled with other gems and minerals, I inhaled deeply, centering myself. While I was in my store, I was safe, I was away from the pressures that bore down upon me by my well-intentioned family and society at large.
“He won’t be bothering you for much longer.”
I whirled around at the voice, my hand making contact with a rock-hard abdomen covered with soft fabric. The man sucked in a breath as I glanced up to be met by the same green eyes I’d seen a couple times before. “I’m sorry,” I muttered. The manlooked tortured. Had I hurt him? I hadn’t hit him that hard and besides, what was he doing standing so close?
He didn’t move, and neither did I. My eyes stayed fixated on his, my breath now caught in my throat. He was beyond beautiful, with his sharp jawline and cheekbones, hair as black and shiny as the chips of onyx we sold. His clothing was gorgeous as well, bespoke and tailored precisely for him, the dark fabric of his dress shirt highlighting fine musculature. The man was living, breathing, sin in the flesh; the image of him seemingly designed to inspire the darkest of thoughts.
“Don’t apologize. If I didn’t want you to touch me, you wouldn’t be able to.” The odd statement floated through my mind as a warmth coursed through me in response to the thought of touching him further.
When I backed away, he reached around me, and picked up the stone I’d just returned to its bin. “Keep these off your person,” he ordered me. His voice reminded me of the man who’d let himself into my bedroom the other night, but I quickly pushed the thought away, there was no way a man like this would do such a thing. He was too well-mannered and dressed, plus the protective air he seemed to possess wouldn’t allow for such behavior.
He tossed it back, his arm brushing my shoulder. He smelled good, like spice and the forest and snow and everything I wanted to smell more of. My thoughts tumbled and I blinked, starting to move away. My leg trembled while I tried to find my footing. He was telling me not to carry rocks, and that someone wouldn’t bother me anymore, and none of anything that was happening made any sense at all. Not my physical response, nor the words flowing through his lips.
My pulse was racing but I still managed to ask, “Who are you?”
His eyes appeared to brighten, his lips tilting into a smile. He held his hand out. “My name is Ramone.”
Hesitantly, I reached to shake his hand, staring at it. He had beautiful, long fingers, and enviable nails that shone like diamonds. The warmth of his skin sliding along mine sent a shiver up my spine. “Samantha,” I replied.
He repeated my name reverently and let go as I pointlessly nodded. Unsure of what to do with myself, or of the growing desire for the elegant figure in front of me, I stood waiting. Realizing I was staring impolitely, I glanced at the floor. His shoes were just as finely well-made as the rest of him, I noticed.
Marshall called for me, and Ramone backed away. “Wait,” I muttered. “What did you mean, who won’t bother me?” My head had cleared enough to remember what he’d said.
He stilled, glancing at me over his shoulder. “Tim. And then you’ll be free.”
Marshall yelled for me again, and when I looked back, Ramone was gone. My head spun, dizzying me when I pondered the implications of his words. Ramone knew who Timothy was. What I didn’t know washow. I’d never seen the man in public at any events, and he didn’t look like any lawyer I’d ever seen. What did he mean I’ll be “free”?
“There you are,” Marshall grumbled when I returned behind the counter. “The payment system is down again.”
“What? No, this can’t be.” Toni nodded at me, confirming. “What the hell...” I muttered.
Toni stood up. “I already called the tech; he should be here tomorrow.”
Tomorrow was too long. We were way busier than usual. “The register card system still works?” I asked.
“It seems localized to online purchases,” Marshall confirmed. “You’d think that whoever had it in for us would’ve affected bothavenues. I don’t understand how this happened. I thought you said the guy was good?”
Toni rolled her eyes at him. “He is. He was? I don’t know.” She sat at the desk, repeatedly tapping a button on the laptop.
Placing my hand on hers, I moved it away from the keyboard. “Can’t we just set up a different system? There’s other credit card merchant services out there. Not every business uses the same one.”
Marshall tilted his head. “I’m an idiot. Good point. Move, Toni. Let me see what I can find.”
“Fine,” she muttered, shoving herself from the chair, the younger man then replacing her in front of the screen. “I got this, don’t worry,” he said, grinning.
Rubbing my forehead, I said, “I’m so tired of this.” I was tired of the computer problems, tired of trying to live up to my parents’ expectations, and pre-tired thinking of Timothy’s newly resurrected interest in me.
“We’ll figure it out,” Toni said. “Did he pick up one of the demonology books? I saw you talking to that guy from the other day. Oh, he would’ve come up here.” She shook her head.
“Oh yeah, I don’t know what he wanted.” The man whose name I now knew—Ramone—had been forgotten with the distraction.
“He didn’t ask for anything?”
“No, he just warned me about rose quartz.” A puzzled look crossed my friend’s face. “Yeah, I know.”
“What did you say? He’s kinda scary looking, I would’ve promised to throw them all away.”
I laughed. “He didn’t scare me. I don’t think I answered him.”